Keynote Address to the 1998 Biennial Convention of the Liberal Party of Canada

This is the first national gathering of the Liberal family since the election. On behalf of all the men and women on the Liberal team in Parliament, I want to say thank you! It is because of your work, because of your discipline, because of your commitment, that we were re-elected last June.

It is because of you that we won the first back-to-back Liberal majorities in more than 40 years. It is because of you that we elected Liberal members of Parliament from coast to coast -- making the Liberal team the only truly national team in the House of Commons.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the out-going National Executive for a job extremely well done, and I want to pay particular tribute to my very good friend Senator Dan Hays for his enormous efforts and hard work as President of the Party over the last several years.

I would like all of you to think of two of our friends who are not with us tonight. They played an extremely important role in the campaign. They are in hospital at the moment -- the president of the campaign, David Smith, and our president in British Columbia, David McPhee. They have our thoughts and prayers.

But we are not here this weekend simply to celebrate our election victory or to look back on what we have accomplished together. We are here to look to the future, to plan for the future, and to begin the work that will lead to our third consecutive Liberal majority government when we call an election three of four years from now.

I am happy to report to you that we have not rested on our laurels or on our success since the last election. We have been very, very busy continuing the job we started in 1993 and building on the achievements of our first mandate. And along the way, we have continued -- with the Canadian people -- to make history.

The proudest moment of this government was three and half weeks ago when we were able to tell Canadians that for the first time in thirty years, Canada is out of the red and back in the black. And for the first time in almost fifty years, we can look forward to at least three balanced budgets in a row.

I know I speak for all Liberals here and for all Canadians when I congratulate Paul Martin for this remarkable achievement. We all owe him an immense debt of gratitude for a job well done. He has shown us what can be accomplished with perseverance, determination and just plain stubbornness.

And while we are praising Paul, and as I accept your warm applause, I must also talk about the President of the Treasury, Marcel Massé, and his predecessor, Art Eggleton, who had to do the job. I would especially like to thank Marcel for his excellent work at Treasury Board and for the work he has done leading our Liberal team in Quebec.

I want to thank each of our ministers who had the difficult task of doing the necessary work in their departments. And I would like to thank in particular every member of the Liberal Caucus for their discipline, their commitment, and their confidence, which were a tremendous help and essential for our success.

But, ladies and gentlemen, I reserve my greatest praise is for the Canadian people. Because this has not been the accomplishment of a government. It is the accomplishment of a nation. The accomplishment of a people -- the Canadian people. They are the ones who demanded the action. They are the ones who made the sacrifices. And, my friends, they are the ones who will reap the rewards in the months and years ahead.

They are also the ones who are feeling the pride. You know, as my colleagues and I have travelled in communities across Canada since the budget, we have been struck by how proud Canadians are of our collective accomplishment.

We have proven to the world -- and even more important -- we have proven to ourselves that we can set bold objectives as a nation; that we can achieve them and surpass them; that by working together, we could transform Canada from what foreign journalists were calling "a candidate for membership in the third world" a few years ago, to what they are now referring to as "the Maple Leaf Miracle." The Paris newspaper Libération spoke a few months ago about "the Canadian miracle." The Economist in London talked about fiscal virtuosity.

It is an historic accomplishment. It is no wonder that Canada is being seen as the Comeback Kid of the industrialized world. It is no wonder the mood of the country is so different from just a few years ago.

I want to share with you the front page of last Saturday's Ottawa Citizen. The headline reads: "Jobs Jobs Jobs: National Unemployment Rate Hits Eight Year Low". Below it, it says: "The Dawn of a Golden Age: Finance Experts Echo Martin's Prediction of Twenty Year Boom".

When we took office four and a half years ago -- with a deficit of $42 billion and growing, interest rates higher than those in the United States and rising, unemployment at about eleven and a half percent, a mood of deep pessimism in the nation -- who would have predicted that Canada, a few short years later, would be on the verge of a new golden age comparable to that of the post-war period? You know how much of an optimist I am. But even I was never that optimistic!

Ladies and gentlemen, when we look at what we have accomplished in the last few years, we have every right to seek our inspiration in that golden age of the 1950s; we have every right to be confident that history will repeat itself. We can look forward once again to a long period of low inflation, lower unemployment, rapid job creation, strong economic growth, rising personal incomes, the development of sustainable social programmes, and boundless confidence in the future.

Those times that people are now referring to were not only a golden age for Canada economically and socially; I can say here at this Liberal convention that those times were also a golden age for Liberals. It was a time of election victory after election victory.

About fifty years ago, as Canada entered a new era of balanced budgets, economic growth and prosperity, and renewed hope and confidence and optimism in the future, the Liberal Party won its greatest electoral victory ever -- 190 seats in the House of Commons.

Fellow Liberals, I draw my inspiration and my determination from the fact that Louis St. Laurent won that great victory at the age of sixty-seven. And tonight, I want to remind Aline -- yes, that is who I want to remind -- that Mr. St. Laurent followed through with another majority government four years later at the age of 71. And if I were to do like Uncle Louis and quit at 75, don't be worried, Herb Gray will be available!

Today our job as Liberals is to build on this new spirit and confidence in the land with the kinds of policies and approaches that will ensure a new golden age of opportunity and prosperity for Canadians.

Today we have both remarkable opportunities and heavy responsibilities. We live -- as do all Western democracies -- in an age of cynicism about what government can do. For too long, because of high deficits, high taxes and reduced services, Canadians have grown distant from their national government. And for too long, because of the mistakes of the past, Canadians have worried that a national government -- in the black -- would squander their tax dollars on short-term political fixes that do not provide lasting benefits. And so in Canada, as elsewhere in the world, people have grown sceptical about what their national government will do.

Our challenge as Liberals is to show what government can do in a positive way in the 21st century. Our challenge is to re-connect citizens and governments. Canadians want new approaches to the challenges of a new era. We must and we will deliver such new approaches.

That means first of all that we can never go back to the old ways. We cannot go back to the kind of politics and governments that created the $42 billion deficit we inherited when we took office. Let me be very clear. No more political quick fixes. No more spending sprees. Those days are over for good. Period!

We did not balance our books just so I could go to New York to brag about Canada -- although I did enjoy doing that very much.

We knew that the first budget of the post-deficit era would be critical to restoring the confidence of Canadians in government. We knew that this budget would be a test of the connection between government and citizens. I believe that with this budget, we have begun to restore that confidence, and we have passed that test.

In my judgement, there can be no greater role for government than to prepare Canadians for the economy of the 21st century. Where knowledge is the most important commodity, where technology, not resources, will determine the wealth of nations. Where access to opportunity depends on having the right skills. And where prosperity depends on higher education as it never has before.

That's why we decided that the first budget of the post-deficit era would focus on the young people of today. They are the ones who clearly have the most at stake in the economy of tomorrow. And so we announced the largest investment that any federal government has ever made in our history to provide access to higher education in the short-term, in the medium-term and in the long-term. It is a matter of great pride to all of us as Liberals that we chose investing in the future of young Canadians as our highest priority in our first post-deficit budget.

We know how important it is that young people see concrete action from their national government rather than just hearing rhetoric. It is not good enough just to wring our hands about the brain drain that sees our best young minds seeking opportunities in the United States.

It is not good enough just to express sadness about the growing burden of student debt. And it is certainly not good enough just to say that we are deeply troubled about the human potential that is lost when young Canadians cannot go to university or colleges because they cannot afford it.

Three and a half weeks ago, the national government -- the government of all Canadians, the Liberal government -- took the concrete action young Canadians and all Canadians have been waiting for. And I am very, very proud of what we have done.

Everything we have done -- from eliminating the deficit; to beginning to lower the tax burden on Canadians; to the Canadian Opportunities Strategy; to the Canadian Education Savings Grants which will put post-secondary education within reach of the students of tomorrow; to the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Fund of which we are so proud which will give hope and opportunity to 100,000 Canadians in need every year, has one very simple objective: helping young Canadians to fulfill their dreams and potential. More than that, to make sure that our best and our brightest can realize those dreams and fulfill that potential right here in Canada.

Because of the hard work and sacrifice of the last four years, once again the national government, the government of all Canadians, can be relevant to the needs and aspirations of individual Canadians. And as the years pass, we will make certain the relevance of the government of Canada to individual citizens will continue to grow and grow.

We have also transformed the way the federal government operates, making enormous progress in working with provincial governments, and indeed, the private sector and non-governmental organizations. The so-called "status quo" of a few years ago is unrecognizable today:

The devolution of manpower training; environmental harmonization; the elimination of overlap and duplication in mining, forestry, tourism, and housing; the constitutional amendments permitting the reform of the school systems of Quebec and Newfoundland; the new spirit of partnership in trade promotion; our common federal-provincial effort to reduce child poverty through the Canada Child Tax Benefit; the Calgary Declaration that recognizes the uniqueness of Quebec society and the equality of the provinces. This is an impressive list -- and a long one.

As you know, we make changes one at a time, and this is definitely the best method. We have demonstrated beyond any doubt that Canada can change radically, that Canada can modernize and most important, that Canada can -- and does -- work.

However, the proponents of separation are right about one thing. There is a status quo. There is inflexibility. There is rigidity and dogmatism. Where do you find them? You find them in the discourse of the proponents of separation. They are the only ones who are allergic to change. Their rhetoric and arguments have not changed in more than thirty years. Canada has changed dramatically. We all the know how much the world has changed. But they have not!

The one statement they continue to make that is undeniably true is that Canada is not a normal country. They are right. It is not. It is an extraordinary country. It is an example for the world. This week in New England, Mr. Bouchard boasted about the bilingual character of Montréal. I hope he repeats this at his next PQ General Assembly in Montréal.

My message to you as Liberals over the course of the weekend is: what can we do to keep building Canada as a model, a model for the world. During the next two days, you will be discussing policy and voting on resolutions. This is important work. This will be our last national convention of the century. And your work here will help determine the direction of your party and our country as we enter a new century.

I ask you, as you debate and consider these policies, to keep in mind one thing: that the mark of a positive, constructive policy is not how much public money it would cost, it is not how big of a programme it would create, or how many public servants it would employ, it is how much of a positive difference it will make in the lives of ordinary Canadians. We do not need resolutions that simply identify any problem -- big or small -- and ask us to spend money, whether or not we have it. You must focus on priorities.

Think of how we can do more to help the kids of today get the education they need for the jobs of tomorrow. Think of how you can ensure that your parents get the care and attention they deserve -- and are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve -- as they get older. Think of ways -- creative ways -- we can give a bigger stake in society to those who have been consigned to the margins through no fault of their own -- aboriginals, street kids, refugees, victims of discrimination -- all of those who have a right to their share of the Canadian dream.

Remember, when we address these problems, we do more than help the people who are directly affected, we make our society -- our whole country -- stronger. And I also ask you to remember that while our ways of dealing with important issues change with the times, our values -- our Liberal values -- never change.

Look at how Liberal values in government have built Canada over the last hundred years. Look at the governments of Laurier, of King, of St. Laurent, of Pearson, of Trudeau. Next month, we will be celebrating the 35th anniversary of the first Pearson government. Next June, we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first Trudeau government. And I had the great honour and privilege of serving in their Cabinets.

Look at the great legacies they have left of an open, inclusive society, of social programs that are a model for the world, of safe, strong communities, of respect for differences and of understanding of the ties that bind us. Each Liberal government in its day gave new relevance to timeless Liberal values. That is our job today. That is what Canadians want us to do.

That is important to remember with all the talk about uniting the right. Talk about a scary marriage! I don't want to think of what the offspring would look like.

On one side you have the Tories. Well, there are 42 billion reasons why Canadians will never trust them again. And on the other side, you have the Reform Party. I was first elected to the House of Commons 35 years ago and I have never seen the kind of circus antics in the House of Commons that we see with the Reform Party today.

When we were in opposition, we were tough. Do you remember how tough some of our colleagues were? But all that time, Sheila Copps, Brian Tobin, Don Boudria and even John Nunziata never refused to say outside of the House of Commons what they said inside.

Personal attacks and insults, divisive rhetoric that pits region against region and Canadian against Canadian, code words and intimidation, gutter politics, these are the stock in trade of the Reform Party. And it will take more than wrapping themselves in the flag to hide that ugly reality from Canadians.

So, ladies and gentlemen, let the right unite! Bring on the Reform-a-Tories: who want to abolish the public pension system; who think that where you are born should dictate whether you can be Prime Minister; whose models aren't Laurier or Pearson, but Nixon and Gingrich.

Canadians will say to them what they have always said to those who try to divide us, to those who only try to bring out the worst in us: what Canadians say time and time again is No, No and No!!!

We Liberals will continue to represent the vast majority of Canadians in the moderate middle, the radical centre. Canadians who are busy keeping the promise of making Canada a land of hope and opportunity; Canadians who are busy building a new era of growth and prosperity, a new Golden Age for Canada.

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Liberals, our vision of the future is of a new century of new opportunity and new prosperity; of a better life for ourselves and our children and grandchildren. It is that ambitious. And that simple.

I have been in public life quite a while. One of the descriptions that I am proudest of is that I am a "practical" politician. I like to think that is someone who gets things done; who seeks solutions. Some think it is no substitute for vision -- whatever they mean by that.

To them I say vision is not political rhetoric; it is a young child in Rankin Inlet connected to the world through Schoolnet learning that others in Toronto, New York and Tokyo are fascinated by his Arctic life. Vision is not political rhetoric; it is a working single mother in Surrey, B.C., learning she has won a Millennium Scholarship and will begin a new life. Vision is not political rhetoric; it is a child in downtown Montreal, born healthy because his mother benefitted from a pre-natal nutrition programme. Vision is not political rhetoric; it is a child in Brandon going to school well- clothed, with a decent breakfast in his belly, because of the Canada Child Tax Benefit. Vision is not political rhetoric; it is a child in Cambodia or Bosnia, who can look forward again to playing in an open field, because a country like Canada took the lead in banning landmines. Vision is not political rhetoric; it is a government that cared enough about the future of our children, to permanently lift the burden of deficits that were crushing the hopes and dreams of a whole generation.

Vision, for me, and I think for most Canadians, simply means the incredible promise of Canadian life. Canada kept that promise completely for the Chrétien kids in Shawinigan, and for so many others. My commitment to you is to help keep that promise for young Canadians today. Vision, ladies and gentlemen, is real people doing good things for themselves and their country.

Four years from now, when we look back on this second majority mandate, this is what we will have accomplished together: we will have invested in the future of Canadians so they will be well prepared for the 21st century. By attacking child poverty, we will have helped those least able to help themselves. We will have addressed major problems in the health care system. We will have put money in the pockets of Canadians by significantly reducing taxes. And we will have reduced the burden of our national debt.

That is Liberal vision in action. That is Canadian values in action. That is our promise to Canadians. And then, we will be ready for our third majority government.

Ladies and gentlemen, in 1990 you gave me a great honour and a great responsibility. And I do think that together we will keep Canada a model and an example to the world in the 21st century -- in the new millennium.

A society that cares, that believes in generosity, in trust; a society that believes in sharing; a society that realizes that it is possible to be different and to be equal at the same time; a society in which -- whatever your language, your religion, the colour of your skin -- you can be all one -- equal -- because Canada is, and will remain, the best country in the world.

Vive le Canada!